NOVA Hosts Local Candlelight Tribute For All Victims Of Crime

Some anniversaries aren’t celebrations of happy events. Unlike a birthday or the day a couple married, the anniversary of a devastating criminal act of violence can be a bitter remembrance.

"Paying tribute to any victim of violent crime is inevitably how we acknowledge and remember all victims of violence in our society," said Barbara Clark, executive director of NOVA (Network of Victim Assistance).

That is the goal of NOVA's annual Candlelight Tribute, a moving remembrance of all victims of crime, held this year on Thursday, April 26. Although the event is normally held at the Victims' Commemorative Arbor in Core Creek Park in Langhorne, it has moved indoors this year due to weather.

The tribute will be held at the Core Creek Community Church, 1110 Langhorne-Newtown Road (Route 413), Langhorne, Pa. 19047, directly across from St. Mary’s Medical Center and Core Creek Park. MAP

The tribute begins at 5:30 p.m. with a half-hour reception and light refreshments: follow the balloons to reach the site.

Each year, in connection with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victims and their families gather with NOVA supporters and community leaders for the early evening ecumenical service: a moving hour of poetry, music and reflection. All are invited to share in this experience, honoring loved ones lost to or affected by violence and celebrating the many successes of the victims’ rights movement. Victims share their compelling stories, and community leaders speak of the importance of supporting victims and their families. The program includes remarks by representatives of local law enforcement and the justice system. 

Along with a reading of a Victim Impact Statement, Pastor Ginny Miles of Penn’s Park United Methodist Church will offer a prayer of healing.

For more information on the Candlelight Tribute or NOVA’s many services and programs, please contact NOVA at 215.343.6543 or visit NOVA’s website www.NOVABucks.org. For information about 2012 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at www.ovc.gov.

Extending the Vision, Reaching Every Victim
This year National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) falls April 22-28. It is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the profound and wide-reaching impact of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) on victims’ rights and resources. The 2012 theme — Extending the Vision, Reaching Every Victim. — calls on us to expand the vision that inspired the movement and celebrate the progress achieved to date. It captures the spirit and resolve needed to realize our common goal of reaching each victim in need of hope and help, one victim at a time.

The 5-acre memorial site at Core Creek Park was established in 1998 by NOVA with the support of the county commissioners. Since then, more than 30 trees have been planted in the arbor, several benches have been placed and a gazebo built to honor victims of crime. Together with M.A.D.D. (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving), a special entranceway was developed in 2004. Community members and victims and their families are welcome to visit this exceptionally tranquil spot near Lake Luxembourg at any time, throughout the year.